Elrios University: Semester Two!
by B2KatxCurtis
Summary: Three months after the end of Semester One, Add is still on the loose with the number of those lost to him constantly increasing. Feeling the need to regroup, the El Explorers are all arriving back to the university. Will Chung return to the Explorers? Who is this strange character who seems to have a bone to pick with Add? R&R to find out! Yeah! Let's pick up where we left off!
1. Prologue

_**Hia, Elpeeps! Here's that sequel that I promised you! Add's class is now Master Mind and only one other character class was changed throughout this story. Can you figure it out? Anyway~ Sorry it's short but Elrios University: Semester Two! everyone!**_

* * *

The echoing sound of running footsteps shot through the regally decorated corridor. A man in dark red armor glanced hesitantly around the corridor as the slowed his frantic pace. His heart's pounding sounded as thunderclaps to his ears, causing him to shiver at the thought of his pursuer managing to close the meager distance between them without the knight's knowing. He brandished his sword and set his stance, swallowing the fear that had freshly risen up in his throat.

"Kekeke…you're a bit slow, Red Knight. I expected more of a challenge from you, after all…your former Captain, Elesis, has set a very high bar due to her almost killing me," the knight's pursuer smirked, his magenta eyes flashing with lust for his blood. The knight risked a look at his pursuer and immediately wished he hadn't. The magenta-eyed man behind him had his pure white hair tied in a high ponytail and six taser-like weapons behind him that the man had called Dynamos. His once-white lab coat was dyed red with the blood of the knight's brothers-in-arms.

"W-why are you out to kill us all?! Who the heck are you anyway?" The knight stammered, taken aback by the man's appearance. "Answer me, fiend, or I'll—urk!"

The man smirked manically as he watched the life drain from the knight's face. "'Or you'll' what? You can't do anything if you're dying on the floor, pitiful knight. As for who I am—well—remember my name well in your last few moments of life. I'm known simply as Add; the man who killed the captain of the Red Knights! …huh. He died before I finished. Well, looks like I've become strong enough to kill those meddlesome El Explorers. Time to go back to college then, fufu…"

…**.**

_So…you still torture those that are too weak to resist? Or use trickery to kill those that you know you can't touch otherwise? Either way, I can't stand back and watch you take another life…not while I draw breath. Your murderous ways have taken too many lives for too long. Look out, 'Add,' because your days are numbered. _A feminine figure stood on the rafter that they had been watching from. They broke a fireball in their hand and smiled a cold, humorless smile, _It's time for me to end him._

…**.**

The blonde teenager touched the knight's throat with two of his fingers…_No pulse…I was too late, damnit! Add was already here…I just can't keep up, can I? _He sighed, "I'm not doing anyone any good while I'm here…while I'm separated from my friends. The most alarming part though—who else was here? The ground has scorch marks where it seems a fireball hit. Elsword uses runes. He wouldn't be here anyways." He let out a frustrated puff of air, pushing back a blonde bang that had fallen over one of his blue paw-print patterned eyes. "Well, there's nothing more I can do for these poor knights' souls now. I might as well head back to the university and see how everyone's doing as well as catch up on all that schoolwork I missed. Heh…I'm gonna be working my butt off for this whole semester to make up for leaving half-way through the last one."

The teenager smiled bitterly, _Add, when we cross paths again, I'll make sure to catch you and make you pay for what you did to Elsword!_


	2. Part 1

**_Hey, Elpeeps! I'm back with Part 1 of Semester 2! ;) _**

**_Just so we're clear, I'll only do the disclaimer once ('cause it's sooo annoying to type it out more than that):_**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Elsword or anything pertaining to it. I only own my take on this common plot. :P_**

**_So, without further ado-_**

**_El Explorers: PART ONE BEGIN!_**

* * *

Aisha let out a quiet groan, _Why do I have to have some much freakin' homework for a simple Element Magic101 course?!_ She got up and grabbed her staff on her way out the door. _I'm gonna go practice for a little while to clear my mind, then get back to my homework. _She glanced at the time, _Huh—only 2:30? Wow, I've only been at my homework for half an hour. Yeah~ this is gonna be a loooong assignment._ She walked into the practice range, trying to push the horrible memory of what happened a few months ago out of her mind.

_Aisha, Ara, Aren, Raven, Eve, and Rena all ran to the source of a powerful explosion, praying that nothing had happened to the red-headed siblings. What Aisha and the other El Explorers saw made their blood run cold. Elsword was safely in front of the burning remains of the practice range, but his look of pure grief and rage told everyone what had happened. Elsa and Add had fought and she had lost. As the flames were extinguished, Aisha sat silently down next to Elsword. "It's not your fault, you know…" Aisha started, only to be cut off by Elsword._

_ "I-I should've fought back…I had my sword! I-if I had…Elsa would still be here! It IS my fault, Aisha! I-I need to get stronger, so I can kill that monster! Add will pay for what he's done! I won't be frozen in fear anymore! Sorry, Aisha…I'm leaving until I'm strong enough to get revenge for her. Good-bye," Elsword stated before he got up and ran away._

"Inferno Wave!" Aisha cried as she unleashed a meteor-like attack followed by a lightning bolt. She sighed, _I guess I'm so distracted that my magic's not as strong as it used to be. Maybe that's why I was having so much trouble with my magic homework…? Maybe I should go and—_

"Didn't expect to see you here, Aisha! This is my time-slot. Not that I mind! You're someone to talk to," Ara's overly-cheerful voice snapped Aisha out of her thoughts.

"Oh, sorry, Ara! I thought everyone was still in class."

"Ohhh~ you haven't heard the news then?" Ara's voice took a teasing tone, causing Aisha's face to darken by three or four shades of red.

"N-no! I haven't-! What news?!" Aisha stammered, hoping that Ara was telling her about a certain red-headed swordsman coming back to ElU.

"A certain someone that our resident Elemental Master has a HUGE crush on is back on campus!" Ara sang.

"A-Ara! It's not like that at all! Why the heck would I like that kid?!" Aisha exclaimed, embarrassed that Ara caught on so quickly. _Am I really that easy to read? Dang it!_

"Suit yourself. He's at the north entrance if you wanna see him again. I'm gonna skip out on training now and let you sulk in silence! Haha!" Ara laughed as she headed back out towards the north entrance.

Aisha groaned, "I-it's not like I really like him…no more than a friend! Ara and the others all have the wrong idea! I don't…I don't love Elsword…!" She closed her eyes as she spoke the command to begin the mock-battle for practice: "Mock-battle, activate. Level 51."

Mock battle activated. Initiating Level 51.

Aisha gritted her teeth, "Here goes!" 5 Forest Mushrooms materialized around her. "Pyro Gust!"

…**.**

Elsword looked hesitantly up at Elrios University—the place where so much chaos happened last semester. _What on earth am I doing back here again? Wasn't losing Elsa bad enough? …then did I really think I was strong enough to come back to where Add killed her? Even so—?!_

"Yo! Long time no see, Red!" Raven's voice calling one of the most hated nicknames (behind Aisha's calling him "Stupid bed-wetting kid!") that the El Explorers had come up with for their leader.

"U-uh, hi, Raven. AND QUIT CALLING ME THAT!"

"EL~! You're back~!" Rena's singsong voice joined in as well as the rest of the Explorers with the exception of a certain purplette.

Elsword looked over all of his excited friends, "Hey, did Tomboy transfer to a different school or something? She and Raven seemed inseparable last semester."

Ara giggled, "You can be so smart on some things, but so dense and oblivious to other things! How the heck do you do it?"

"Huh?" Elsword's blank expression made everyone else laugh.

Aren recovered first, "You honestly have no clue about how Aisha feels about you? Wow, my little sister's right. You really are oblivious!"

"WHAT WAS THE BIG IDEA LEAVING ME ARA?!"

Ara giggled again, "Speak of the purple-haired devil. Have fun with her, El!"

Aisha stormed over to the group looking like she had five or six spells backfire on her at the same time, forcing a laugh from Elsword, unfortunately getting the purplette's glare on him a split-second before it was replaced by a slack-jawed look. "E-Elsword? B-but I thought that you weren't going to come back for a while—"

"Hey, someone mind filling me in on what I'm looking at?"

Everyone stared at the new arrival and Elsword spoke the name he never thought he'd say again, "S-Seiker?!"

* * *

**_So, sorry for the wait, but I hope you guys enjoyed the part. Like I said on my profile, I'm trying to slow down the pace of my story to help everyone to grasp the plot better (no guarantees on the "slowing down" part). This is usually the approximate size of my updates so please don't flame up at me for the size. Anyways, enough of me rambling. Chung's back! Yay! Also, this was kinda like filling in the holes and getting a good amount of lovable characters back together._**

**_Chung: You're still rambling. *takes out duct tape and tapes my mouth shut*_**

**_mmph, mmmphhh!_**

**_Elsword: See everyone in the next update!_**

**_Everyone: THANKS FOR READING (MMPH!)!_**


	3. Part 2

_**Hia, Elpeeps, and welcome to Elrios University: Semester Two! Part 2! I know, I'm updating more than just like once a month-I must be getting more free time!**_

_**Chung: No, more or less, it's because of Asura and Dark Knight out in NA now.**_

_***Sweatdrops* Ok, so Chung got it haha.**_

**_Ciel: When exactly are we going to be coming in?_**

**_Lu: Probably not for a while..._**

**_Raven: NOW THEN-we're stopping the readers from Reading and Reviewing!_**

**_Enjoy the part, guys! :D_**

* * *

Elsword couldn't believe his eyes, his old roommate was finally back! The only thing that bothered him was the sad and sympathetic look in his friend's eyes. "U-um, Seiker… what's wrong? You don't look too happy."

Chung looked around their group warily, "Could we speak of this privately, guys? I just don't want to discuss points of business outside of our team for right now. C'mon, let's get to our makeshift headquarters."

The El Explorers all arrived in Chung and Elsword's dorm, which doubled as the small team's headquarters, and silence reigned for about five minutes before anyone dared make any noise except to breathe. Chung finally broke the suffocating silence, "Guys, I came back with good news and bad. Which do you want to hear first?"

"Good news are good, but let's hear the bad first to then be cheered up by the good news~!" Ara sang. Everyone exchanged confused looks due to the way Ara had phrased her statement.

"Um, Ara…" Aren spoke up, "…for starters, is right. And secondly—try phrasing that a little better little sis."

Aisha let out a heavy sigh, wishing she didn't have to agree with the Haan siblings, "Bad news first."

"Bad news~" Rena hummed in anticipation.

"I have a pretty good idea on what it is, but let's hear the bad news to prove or disprove my theory," Eve sourly muttered.

"Bad news," Raven answered.

All eyes went to Elsword, after all, the leader's the final authority, right? Elsword shifted uneasily, "Well, let's hear it, Seiker. The bad news."

Chung stood up and started pacing due to his unease as well. He paused, took a deep breath, then turned and faced the other Explorers, "It's about…_him_. It's Add. He's coming back to ElU—and he's after Elsword. I believe that he just wants to prove that he's stronger than the Red Knights, and, by extension, stronger than the Velder Kingdom."

"Now, for the good news—Elsword, this was mainly for you. I did some research, and-"

"Forget about the research Seiker! Add's coming back?! He's coming here, of all places?!"

"LET ME FREAKIN' FINISH, ELSWORD!" Chung growled and waited for Elsword to quiet down before he continued. "Now, then, as I was saying—I did some research and I found out that your sister might not be dead. Hold on before you go crazy and let me explain.

Apparently, something similar to what happened between Elsa and Add _has _happened before, and both parties got out unscathed. I researched extensively more on the event to see how on Elrios this could've happened and found this: The fact is, although the losing party was seemingly killed, their will to live and the fact that they gave their life to protect someone dear to them seems to have kept them alive. There might just be a way to find your sister and get her to work alongside us in order to finally defeat Add! Here's the part of the legend that's applicable to this situation: 'When the warrior had fallen, his lover cried out in rage for the vile murderer to pay the cost of a life for a life. The woman's cries were seemingly unheard until three months later, when a warrior cloaked in eternal flames appeared. The warrior brandished their sword and destroyed the murderer's empire, and killed the fiend.' That's all I could gather, due to it being an old legend, lost in time. Now you can freak out."

"What does an old legend have to do with Elsa? We don't even know what to do to validate this legend, Chung," Raven pointed out, "So how are we even to start? We _all_ saw Elsa dead in Elsword's arms. We can't argue that fact!"

Elsword grimaced, _Seiker actually has a logical way that means Elsa could be alive…but how will we be able to find her or even make sure it's not just a legend! Raven has a good argument too, though…Gah! This is sooo frustrating! I don't know who to side with here!_

"U-um, I think we should give it a shot," Aisha hesitantly spoke up, getting all eyes on her. Aisha gulped, "I mean, we all miss Elsa, so this seems like a good chance to get our friend back. We could really use her power."

"I agree~!" Rena cheered and the Haans nodded in agreement.

"How do we start?" Eve added.

Chung grinned as he looked at all his friends, "More research, of course! We can't hope to get on top of things if we don't have any idea on what the heck we're getting ourselves into."

Everyone agreed to the idea and promised to meet up the next day in the library.

…**.**

"…if we don't have any idea on what the heck we're getting ourselves into." The blonde prince explained as he grinned.

_Good luck, El Explorers. I look forward to allying myself with you, if you can figure out how. You must make haste! Your enemy approaches even now, thirsty for Elsword's blood. I look forward to how this will end…_the figure smiled as they watched from the rafters of the dorm. They stood up and was gone in a brief blaze of reddish-gold fire.

* * *

_**Any ideas on who this mysterious figure is yet? Yay! The El Explorers are back in action-well, about to be in any case! Will they figure out how to get Elsa(Elesis) back, or was she even dead to begin with? R&amp;R to find out if Chung's legend holds any truth!**_

_**El Explorers: We'll see all you Elpeeps in the next update!**_


	4. Part 3

**_Hey, Elpeeps, and sorry for the late update! Happy Easter!_**

**_Chung: We've kept you waiting for long enough. Elrios University: Semester Two! Part 3, begin!_**

* * *

Elsword groaned and threw the thick tome against the wall, jarring everyone else out of theirs when it hit the wall with a resounding _THUD! _"Why the heck does reading have to be sooo~ boring?!" he whined.

"Only to you, El-Brat," scoffed Aisha, successfully earning a nasty glare from said red-head. "The rest of us just so happen to want to figure out our next step! This is precisely why we're still stuck in here! People *cough* you *cough* aren't willing to pull their weight and help us figure out how to advance!"

Elsword growled and zoned Aisha's continuous berating of him out there, knowing she was right about the whole reason why they were in one of the most hated (in his opinion) rooms on campus—the library. _They keep acting as though I'm not here, I'm not helping, and they have all the time in the freakin' world! We don't have time! If Elsa is really still alive, then we have to stop dragging our feet and march outta here to find her right now, before Add finds out! If she's dead, this is all a huge waste of time! _Elsword's mental rant abruptly ended when he spotted one particular annoyed elf get up and close her book with a decisive _SNAP!_, "No shouting matches in the library, you two!" Rena whisper-shouted, making Elsword and Aisha both cringe. "Elsword, Chung wanted to speak to you. Where—I have no idea. Good luck finding him~! Aisha, GET BACK TO READING YOUR BOOK NOW!"

As Aisha hastily sat back down and opened her book again, Elsword walked out of the library, _What's so important that Seiker had to tell me in private?_

…

"You wanted to talk, Seiker?" Elsword surveyed the area where he had found his blonde friend. He had found Chung standing a ways from the Practice Range, where ivy-crusted ruins stretched up to the sky. Elsword glanced back and realized that it was impossible to see the Range from where the two stood, due to the tall, thick trees and dense brush concealing the overgrown trail that he had followed.

"Kind of. Look here, Elsword, the base of this ruin—" here he paused and hit the wall with his Destroyer, causing a low, loud, tolling, bell-like sound, "—is hollow. This is where—at least according to an old Senace legend—the resurrected hero reappeared."

"Wait—'hollow'? As in, there's a door in somewhere hollow? I heard rumors of a door into the Knight's Spire, but I never thought it was real. Let's find it and get in there! It might have clues to whether or not Elsa's alive!" Elsword felt the long-forgotten rush of excitement and adventure run through him at the thought of exploring something new.

Chung laughed, "Yeah, sure. Let's just keep it in-between the two of us for now, ok? I'll keep looking for an entrance into the Spire, but I need you to keep the rest of the group from getting curious, got it?"

Elsword grinned, "You know it, Seiker! See ya later!" He took off with a renewed vigor in his footsteps.

Chung's smile faltered as he turned away from the red head's retreating form, inspecting the large ruin known only as Knight's Spire. _No one really knows how or why this thing was built, but we don't really have a choice other than either investigating this ruin or waiting this whole ordeal with Add out—let's hope that we don't have to resort to the second option…_He paced about the front half of the tower's exterior, figuring out that the once-shining red stone the tower was made of was ruby before deciding he had learned all he could from the front. _Looks like there's no door here. Maybe around the back? _He walked cautiously to the back of the crumbling tower. As soon as he moved some of the moss an ivy, the ruby gave way to a door-shaped area of subdued rubellite.

He approached the rubellite and looked it over. _About six feet tall and wide…it has to be the door in! But—how does it open…? It'll have to wait until Elsword gets back. _Chung took out his phone and texted Elsword: "Come as quick as you can! I think I found something! Try not to get seen on your way here. Head's up: Don't forget your sword."

Chung sat down on a stone a ways from the door, "Now, all I gotta do is just wait."

…

Elsword bolted into the clearing, "Finally lost those two…"

"Half an hour is your 'quick as possible', Elsword? I didn't know you took as long as Aisha to get ready," Chung teased.

"I DO NOT TAKE AS LONG AS THAT _TOMBOY_! For the record, it took me that long to ditch Ara and Eve. Those two always get too nosey for their own good…"

"I'm not even gonna ask…"

"You said you found something?"

Chung sweat-dropped, "Yep. At least I think I did." Without another word, Chung touched his Destroyer to the rubellite and pushed slightly. Both boys jumped at the rubellite swinging inward on unseen hinges.

"HOLY CRAP, you found the door?!" Elsword stated, slack-jawed.

Chung nodded, "Ready? This is where the first Red Knights trained, but who knows what moved in since they moved out."

Elsword nodded, "Yeah. Let's get going."

* * *

**_How'd everyone like the chapter? See you guys in the next chapter! :3_**


	5. Part 4

_**Hey, Elpeeps! The update is here! Anyway~ please forgive me if any characters are OoC.**_

_**Chung: Kat doesn't own Elsword or the characters-she only owns her take on the plot.**_

_**Elsword: Yeah! Elrios University: Semester Two! Part 4, BEGIN!**_

* * *

"Here's where we stand: Elsword and Chung are investigating the ruins on the south end of campus (according to Chung's text), Rena and Aisha are to be practicing their melee combat and defense, Ara, Aren, and I will see if we can find any patterns in Add's seemingly random strikes, and Raven is going to be on the lookout for any suspicious activities on or around campus. Are we all clear on our present roles in this team operation?" After the affirmative, Eve nodded, "Then let us begin."

…_**..**_

"_Me_! Practice _melee_! Whose brilliant idea was that?! Sending a mage—who should be in the back or middle of a formation—to the front lines?!" Aisha fumed, causing her Light Hatchling, Hikari, to growl in annoyance, "I'm no Battle Magician or Dimension Witch! I have almost no physical power behind my staff!" She continued ranting as such for the next three hours, and she would've kept going too if Rena hadn't finally lost her patience with her friend's persistent whining.

Rena glared at Aisha, making said girl shut up, "Look, do you honestly think that the rest of us are happy with the current predicament that Add's resurgence landed us in? Remember that you've seen and faced Add's power first-hand last semester—and he was just toying with you! You have to remember, Add can strike at close range, too. He won't hesitate to destroy us with whatever defense he finds is our weakest. Therefore, stop whining and get up to train for physical combat!"

Aisha gulped as she got back to work, _Dang…not even fighting alongside that Elf can tamper down the effect of her anger on someone! I pity the man who eventually marries her…_

…_**.**_

Elsword stared in awe of the dusty red interior of the tower's first floor. _Wow, this is where the Red Knights of old trained? I never thought that I would be able to stand where many of the heroes of Elrios once stood. I wonder…how many—_

"Hey, Elsword! Elrios to Elsword!" Chung's hushed voice snapped Elsword out of his thoughts, "Keep alert! You haven't forgotten what I said before we walked in, have you? We don't know what's in here!"

"Sorry, Seiker…I just—"

"Save it. Try to be alert and quiet for now."

Elsword grimaced, _I completely forgot…_

…_**.**_

"Hehe! I can't wait for this! I'm gonna have a lot of fun~!" a cheery child-like voice sang, clearly feminine.

"Milady, what are we going to do about the intruders? One of them is the son of the White Colossus, Prince of Senace."

"Really? I'm even more excited now~! I've been wanting to meet the ever-popular White Wolf of Hamel~! Wait—you said 'intruders', with an 's'—who happens to be the Prince's companion?"

"It seems that he's a young Red Knight, with experience beyond his years."

"Maybe Elesis's younger brother?"

"I do not know, milady."

"Hmm~ Interesting. Let's go~"

…_**.**_

"Seiker—I don't see or hear anything; I think we're the only ones here," Elsword stated—albeit a bit too loudly.

Before Chung could reply, a young feminine laugh rang through the entire tower, "Haha~! You know, you're really gullible for a Velder Red Knight, kiddo~! Perhaps I was wrong about who you are…"

Elsword exploded, "JUST WHO THE HECK ARE YOU CALLING A KID?!"

"Well~ I certainly don't know your name and you look younger than my servant, so~ you're a kid, Kiddo."

Before Elsword could really blow up on the mysterious voice again, he felt a sharp pain in his ankle—Chung had kicked him—hard. "Shut the heck up Elsword!" Chung hissed under his breath. He then turned and surveyed the area, "Could you please reveal yourself so that we may talk in a civilized manner?"

"Ok~ I've always wanted to meet you anyway, White Wolf." A young girl in a dark dress stepped into the two boys' sight. Her white hair, pasty skin, and confident, cocky look in the girl's eyes would easily make anyone shudder, but Elsword and Chung weren't just anyone. What put both of them on their guard was the more unnerving part of her appearance—her pointed ears, horns, and tail.

_A Demon! But…one so young—?_

The girl pouted, "Quit staring at me as if I were a helpless child! I'm one of the most powerful Demon Lords! Ciel!"

A dark-blue haired Half-Demon appeared behind her, "Yes, Lady Lu?"

The girl, now identified as Lu, glared at Elsword, "Test the Knight. I will speak to the prince alone."

Ciel bowed deeply and then attacked, barely giving Elsword time to draw his sword and block.

Lu's voice took on a sickly sweet tone, "Right this way, Prince Seiker. We'd hate to have your person harmed in our hospitality."

"Not. A. Chance," Chung spat, "I will fight alongside my friend!"

"Very well then. Let's see how long that conviction of yours can hold up. Ciel! Prepare for duo combat!"

* * *

**_*GASP!* Chung and Elsword are in some fairly hot water now! So~ did I do good with introducing Lu/Ciel? And I'm still curious if anyone else have figured out who my second character to change their job class is. Give you a hint-all of the characters in Semester One! are fair game. Lu/Ciel, however are not._**

**_Lu: Aren't you gonna tell everyone what Ciel and my class happens to be?_**

**_*sweatdrops* Uh...yeah._**

**_Lu/Ciel: Power Awaken (Their base class. Because everyone knows how overkill KoG makes the base classes XD)_**


	6. Part 5

_**Hey, Elpeeps! Sorry that I made you all wait for this! I got distracted over summer and I just started college.**_

_**Chung: How's that an excuse?**_

_**Sorry? Anyway, I'm not the best at fight scenes, but I tried my best. Hope you guys enjoy the update and I will try to get faster on the updating!**_

_**Rena: Elrios University: Semester Two! Part 5, everyone!**_

* * *

"How the heck am I supposed to do physical training when a certain _Elf_ keeps killing everything before I can get to it?!" Aisha growled, making said Elf stop the training and face her.

"Well, for starters, stop whining and complaining about everything. Then we'll see if you can hit more enemies. If you have to, try using your magic to draw them in, then attempt to do some physical damage, or, you could use physical attacks to knock them away and then use your magic again," Rena countered.

Aisha huffed and went back to practicing, _I bet'cha that Elsword is having a better time than I am…heck—even Raven is having a better time with just standing in one spot all freakin' day!_

…_**.**_

"SOUL INFEST!" Lu and Ciel exclaimed in unison, unleashing a massive amount of grenades which promptly exploded, striking Chung and Elsword with heavy damage.

"D…damn, these guys are…tough…" Elsword huffed to Chung.

"You're the one who got us into this mess, idiot." Chung grimaced as he thought about the overwhelming power that Lu and Ciel, just a team of two Demons, had demonstrated thus far. _These guys certainly aren't push-overs…they keep batting Elsword and my attacks away like they're nothing! Just how strong are these two truly?_ "Elsword, listen up…" Chung muttered, getting the red-head's attention on him, "We really don't know what all these two are capable of, so we're just gonna have to keep these guys from tag-teaming on us, or we won't stand a chance. For now, tell me how many more Complete Recovery Potions you've got left."

"20, why?"

"We gotta end this quickly then. I myself have 20 left. Keep Lu busy, I'll get Ciel."

"B-but I g—"

"Who's better at a ranged fight of the two of us, El?"

"…you."

"Then I'll handle the ranged Ciel. You get the more melee-oriented Lu. Ready? Let's get 'em!"

Chung made a smoke screen, confusing Lu and getting Ciel to put his guard up again. "Be careful, Lu—they're going to try something," Ciel stated flatly.

Lu blinked, "Ok~? What do you think they'll try, Ciel~?"

Before Ciel could answer, Elsword burst out of the smokescreen, "How's this?!" He slashed at Lu, immediately putting her on the defensive. Ciel charged forward to strike Elsword and knock him away from Lu, only to dodge away from her when Chung's Destroyer almost hit him.

Ciel bristled, "You little brat!" He attacked at Chung with Triple Shot, two of which Chung managed to block with his Destroyer, the third shot passed over said cannon and grazed his cheek. Chung swung his cannon into Ciel's stomach, catching the half-Demon off-guard. Ciel snarled and slashed Chung once with his Gunblades and then fired at Chung with another Triple Shot, which was successfully blocked this time.

Lu growled at Elsword, "You're gonna pay for separating Ciel and I! Let's see how tough you are apart from the White Wolf!"

Elsword grinned as he Countered her Stomp, "Shouldn't I be telling you something along those lines, Miss Dark and Menacing 3-year old?"

Lu stared at him for a long moment before she countered his statement, "_I'm _the kid? Says the one who's less than 20 years old! I'm a Demon Lord! I'm not some wimpy kid to push around and make fun of! That's _you_!"

Elsword growled, _Why you little—you're gonna pay for that one!_ "Shining Rune Buster!" Elsword summoned many red runes and then broke them all simultaneously, blinding Lu as well as causing some massive damage, "Thought _I_ was some kid that you could push around? That oughta show you!"

Lu sniffed, "That hurt, you JERK!"

Chung grinned, "I didn't expect for him to pull it that soon…ah, well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right? Outrage Strike!" Chung fired all the ammo in his Destroyer around him and took out his Silver Shooters, proceeding to shoot every cannon ball and causing the bright blue explosion to hit Ciel.

Ciel activated Devil's Fire, giving Lu and himself chances of extra hits, for Ciel, floating blue targets, for Lu, blazing demonic heads. Lu grinned and activated Aura of Punishment, increasing her and Ciel's critical rate and reducing Elsword and Chung's. Lu smiled brightly at them and then slipped past Elsword to tag out with Ciel. "Flick Shot!" Lu swiftly called as she and Ciel tagged out yet again. Ciel smirked when his and Lu's Combination Gauge filled up. "You two pathetic humans asked for this by separating us~!" Lu sang from behind Ciel.

_Crap! They're going to—_Chung couldn't even finish his thought when Lu and Ciel called out their Combination Skill: "SOUL INFEST!"

Chung held up his Destroyer, keeping the blunt of the attack off of him; Elsword, however, wasn't so lucky. The red-headed Rune Slayer got flung into the dusty red wall of the room they were fighting in with a sickening _THUD!_

_ELSWORD!_

…_**..**_

Raven sighed for what seemed like the millionth time as he paced in front of the pristine white and blood red gate of ElU. _This sucks…Eve's who knows where, doing who knows what; Rena and Aisha at least get to have some kind of practice; and Elsword and Chung are off on yet another adventure! Why do I always get the boring jobs?_ Raven drew out his saber and gave it a steady look. "Well, it certainly wouldn't hurt to practice a few swings…" he slashed the air in front of him a couple times and then resumed pacing. He didn't get very far, however, before he felt the skin on the back of his neck crawl. _Wait…this feeling…_he spun around and attacked at the white-haired man he never wanted to see again. "Hypersonic Stab!" When the man dodged the attack, Raven addressed him. "What brings you back to school…Add?"

* * *

_**And~ Add's back! And please don't hate me for making Elsword get hit by that second Soul Infest so hard! He's a main character! I don't kill my main characters!**_

_**Elsword: Riiiight-so my sister wasn't a main character?**_

_**Eheheheh...ok, so I do kill off main characters...**_

_**?: ...**_

_***sweatdrops* O-ok, bye for now!**_


	7. Part 6

_**Hey~o, Elpeeps! I'm back with yet another part: Part o-mmph?**_

_**Chung: You left them on a cliff-hanger, Kat. They don't want you to spoil this part for them.**_

_***sweatdrops***_

_**Rena: Enjoy the part, everyone!**_

* * *

Chung deflected another barrage from Lu and Ciel, not being able to move out of the way due to him protecting the unconscious Elsword. _I can only do so much before they wear me down! I would be able to fight back if Elsword hadn't taken that hit, but there's not much more I can do there…Please, Elsword! Wake up! _RING! RING! Chung sweatdropped, _Bad timing, Eve!_ He noticed Lu and Ciel stop their assault.

"Aren't you gonna answer that~~?" Lu questioned as he gave them a confused look.

"Depends—are you guys gonna attack if I do?" Chung countered.

"No, we have _some_ honor, even if we are demons. You can answer your friend. We won't attack, right, Lu?" Ciel replied.

"Right, Ciel~! Go for it! Must be something important~" Lu agreed readily.

Chung nodded and answered the phone, "Hello? What's wrong Eve?"

Where are you guys? We got trouble in the package of an insane white-haired freak called Add! Eve replied.

Chung felt his heart jump into his throat, "A-are you sure it's him? I thought we had more time than that! Add can't be back! Not yet!" Lu and Ciel started to show interest upon hearing Add's name.

Yes, but he is here and fighting Raven at the front gate right now. Rena's already rushed over to help and heal him and Aisha's prepping to go as well. The Haan siblings aren't out of class for another three or so hours, and we need you over there now! Leave Elsword if you have to! We can't let Add kill anyone else!

"I'll head over there in a few minutes. Let them know to hold him off for fifteen minutes, ok?" Chung grimaced at the thought of leaving Elsword in the Duo's care. He eyed them and then looked down at Elsword. _I can't just leave him here, but maybe staying with these two is safer than getting him to the dorm where Add can get at him…Curse you, Add! Why'd you have to come now of all times?!_ "I guess we'll have to call this at a truce for now. I need to get Elsword to safety and back my friends up." Here he picked up his unconscious roommate. "Farewell, Demon Lord."

"HOLD ON JUST A MINUTE! Did your friend mention an 'Add'?" Lu's tone made him pause.

"Yes…why do you ask?"

"Because~~"

Chung sweatdropped again, "'Because' why? I need a good reason on why you're stopping me, or I'm leaving."

"Lu and I have a score to settle with this 'Add'. I apologize, Lu's not the best when it comes to explaining things such as this," Ciel flatly answered.

"Ok, so how does this convince me to trust you?"

Lu pouted at Chung's stubborn stance on trusting them, "One, you need to back up your friends, but not with him," she pointed at Elsword in Chung's arms, "Second, you're running out of options in which to hide Elsword. It's down to either leave him with us for the time being or attempt to hide him in plain sight. We both know Add isn't stupid enough for that plan. Third, we wanna help you out against him."

Chung bristled, _This girl—no, Demon Lord has literally poked holes in all my plans by those few words. Blast! She's right…I have no other option left open besides trust Elsword into their care…so be it then. _"Fine. I'm gonna leave Elsword with you two then. If he gets caught or killed, I'll personally kill you both." With that, he ran out to back up Raven, Rena, and Aisha.

…_**..**_

Raven bristled, "Wolf Fang!" He had been fighting Add for what seemed like an eternity, although he knew it had only been a few minutes, and Add was dodging everything that Raven threw at him. _This guy—he's not playing around anymore! Does that mean he beat Aisha last semester by just fooling around?! _"Geez, Add, you think you could slow down a little so I can keep up?" he joked as Add dodged Flying Impact.

Add gave him a maniacal grin in response, "Fufu…now, if I did that, you'd hit me, Blade Master. Why don't you say hello to a little friend of mine I invented just for you—Apocalypse!"

Raven cursed as a strange purple cube-like creature appeared out of nowhere and immediately attacked at him with all the vigor Add's earlier attacks had had. Raven glared at him, "Y'know, I liked you better when you were a Psychic Tracer…then I didn't have to _RUN FROM FREAKIN' LASERS!_"

Add laughed again, "Well, my test subjects were getting away too easily, so I changed my class and invented the beauty that you see before you now! MWUA-HA-HA-HA!"

"Dude, you need to work on the villain-slash-maniacal-laugh thing. Seriously," Raven deadpanned.

"Explosive Dash Kick!" Add growled as he barely dodged Rena's swift surprise attack, barely managing to fire an electrical pulse at her on his way. Rena dodged it and landed behind Raven, "Hia, Rave! Did I make it in time?"

Raven let out the breath that he hadn't even realized he was holding, "Yeah. Thanks for getting over here as fast as you did. Much longer and I would've had to really work at keeping him off me."

Rena nodded, "Airelinna—Nymph!" She created a circle that enhanced speed as well as regenerate HP around Raven. Raven gave her another thankful look before readying to attack Add again.

Add smirked, "How pitiful. You all claim to be the best on campus, yet this is the best you can offer? Fufu…"

"Raven! Rena! I'm here to help!" Aisha called as she swiftly joined them. She lowered her voice after she got to them and put up a Statue of Glory (which earned another frustrated growl from Add), "We need to either kick his butt outta campus or hold 'em off long enough for Chung to get here."

Raven took a moment to catch his breath, "How long exactly are we to hold him?"

"15 minutes, according to Eve."

"Speaking of Eve—"

"She's staying back to tell the Haan siblings when they get out of class. We'll have to hold Add here, Rena."

"…fine."

Raven sighed, "Well, ladies, looks like Add was waiting patiently for us to finish our little team huddle. Let's not keep him waiting any longer."

"Right!"

Add smirked again, _I sure hope they have a nice little plan to defeat me now. Fufu…after these kill-joys, I can go after the one I want. Elsword!_

* * *

**_Soooo~ yeah...I know that I don't usually cut off in the middle of a fight, but I thought that I'd save the conclusion of this little battle for next part, where we find out if Chung makes it in time or not~!_**

**_?: ..._**

**_Huh? Why are you starin' at me?_**

**_?: They're getting their butts handed to them on a silver platter._**

**_N-no! Not true! It's Add vs. Raven, Rena, and Aisha right now. I think it's a little more in the El Explorers' favor._**

**_?: No comment. *turns to readers* We'll see you next time~! *Turns back to Kat* If you killed Elsword, I swear-_**

**_*gulp* Bye, everyone! Please R &amp; R!_**


	8. Part 7

_**Hey, everyone! I'm back and reporting for action!**_

_**Chung: Looks like Round 1 of El Explorers vs. Add is coming to a close the chapter.**_

_**Yep! As well as some backstory(?) on how Lu and Ciel know Elsa. Sorry if I make Elsword seem like a crybaby in that part, but keep in mind-he misses his sister and believes it's his fault she's dead. Please no flames, but reviews are welcome~!**_

_**Raven: Elrios University: Semester Two! Part 7-BEGIN!**_

* * *

"Airelinna!" Rena quickly healed everyone and increased their attack speed. Add smirked as he dodged yet another of Raven's combos.

"Damn! This guy just won't hold still! Back me up here, Aisha!" called Raven as he tried to hit Add with Berserker Blade. Not surprisingly, the latter simply side-stepped, causing Raven to make a deep trench in the ground.

"I'm trying! Magic Missile!" Aisha summoned a heat-seeking ball of magical energy, getting a growl from Add as it kept following him all over the general area.

Add growled in frustration when Aisha's Magic Missile hit him yet again, _These three are getting rather annoying! I must end this now—before the others start to show u—!_ "Destruction Impact!" Eve's voice caught Add off-guard, catching him in her whip made out of Nasod bombs, the last of which immediately detonated, causing a chain explosion and sending him flying.

Just when he recovered from that, he felt Ara's lance impale him, _Damn, how'd I let her get past me?! This's gonna hurt… _"Tiger Stance 1: Rock Smash!" Ara followed up with the other three Tiger Arts, doing sound damage to Add.

Aren followed suit with the Dragon Arts, and soon Add was on his last legs.

_It looks like I need to force all of them back, just long enough to regain my distance…_"Now, you foolish idiots will be the first test subjects for my new invention! Now, come forth, Apocalypse! Crush my enemies where they stand! HAHAHAHAHA!"

"That's not good. We have to be ready for this 'new invention' of his to strike harder than he has been. Be prepared for the worst," Eve instructed, "We must hold Add here until Chung arrives!"

The rest of the El Explorers nodded their agreement and prepared for Add to summon a literal apocalypse. After the light show, they all (sans Raven—he knew what they were about to fight) blinked in confusion, seeing not an "apocalypse", but a rather large cube.

"Crap…well, we're screwed…" Rena muttered as the cube prepared to attack them alongside Add.

"Yes, yes we are…" muttered Raven.

…_**..**_

_Ouch, the heck hit me? My head hurts like Seiker hit me with that Destroyer of his! _Elsword groaned as he sat up.

"I see you're awake now~" sang the chibi Demon from earlier.

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING HERE?! WHERE AM I?! WHERE'S SEIKER?!" Elsword completely freaked out.

"One, we live here. Two, you're in the Knight's Spire. Three, Prince Seiker took off to back your friends against Add. I believe that's sufficient to answer your questions?" Ciel calmly replied, irritating Elsword even more.

Elsword growled, "Add? That murderer is back on campus?! I'm leaving to back the others up then!"

In a heartbeat, the chibi Demon (Elsword remembered her name was Lu) was on top of him, gauntlet to his throat, "No, you won't. If you go, Add will kill you. Altho—"

"If I DON'T go, then Add will kill my friends—no, my family! I'm going!"  
"…I was going to be nice to you, out of respect to your sister…but it seems I won't get through to you that way…" Lu muttered with a pout. Before Elsword could even register Lu mentioning Elsa, she already had him against the wall with the claws from her gauntlet driven into the wall around Elsword's throat. "Listen up, Elsword, you're not going or Chung's plan will not work. Have a little faith in your friends' strength."

"…Damn…it…fine. I'm worried that they…they might not know what they're up against…" Elsword managed to get out through Lu's chokehold on him. "Y-you…men…tioned Elsa…How…?"

Lu sighed as she dropped Elsword, "You certainly are one strange human…your sister did Ciel and I a favor a few years back and I've been keeping in touch with her until three months ago. I immediately knew something was up, and I came here to complete my promise to Elesis. She had asked me, and I quote, 'Please protect my little brother if anything ever happens to me. His name is Elsword.' So, here I am. She also wanted for me to give you a message…"

Elsword fought hard against the tears that threatened to come out, "What message?" _Was the message my sister asked Lu to give me something to help me defeat Add? Or get her back? I have to know if what Lu's saying is true! Elsa…why would you ask for me to be protected…?_

Lu looked Elsword right in the face with a serious expression, almost perfectly mirroring the one Elsa used to give him whenever she was about to say something important. "She said, 'I love you, lil' bro, and whenever you desperately need me, you know what to say. I won't willingly leave you, but trust in Chung and the others to get you through it when I do die.'"

Elsword fell to his knees and sobbed, feeling like that was Elsa herself who told him that message.

Lu cocked her head, "Well, are you gonna give it a shot?"

Elsword blinked, remembering that he wasn't the only one in the room. He quickly wiped away his tears and looked at Lu, "Give what a shot?"

Ciel answered, "Did you miss that part of the message? Where Elesis said, '…whenever you desperately need me, you know what to say…'?"

Elsword grimaced, "Well, I'll figure out what she meant by that…eventually…"

Lu huffed, "Too bad that time isn't on yours and you friends' side."

…_**..**_

Add laughed as the pathetic scene in front of him, "Don't you see NOW? None of you even stood a CHANCE against me! HAHAHA! Now, then—FAREWELL! Kekeke…"

Raven growled as he punched the ground, "Dammit, is he right? Did we really not stand a chance against him?"

Rena looked worriedly at Raven, "Don't you dare give up yet! We can still win this! I, for one, certainly won't die on my knees to some twisted monster in human skin!"

Add's smirk stretched manically bigger as he walked up to the struggling Wind Sneaker, "Perhaps you should die first then, kekeke…"

"Over my dead body!" roared Raven as he knocked Add away. "Rena's right. There's no way I'm dying here to a scumbag like you, Add."

"Hm? So be it. Rest in pieces! HAHAHA!" As the others all watched in horror, Add fired an attack at Rena and Raven. Just when they thought they were goners, a huge missile dropped from the sky.

"Artillery Strike!" Chung got up from his sniping position and jumped in-between Add and the fallen Explorers. "You're clean outta time, Add. You lose."

Add bristled, his one chance to get rid of the others, and Chung had to get involved! He did a quick mental assessment over his condition. He clicked his tongue, "Tsk. Looks like I don't have the power to continue this fight…count your blessings from the El Lady, fools! Your days are numbered, El Explorers!" With that, he quickly escaped, leaving Chung to tend to the other Explorers.

"Wow, you guys look trashed," he stated plainly.

"Gee, Chung, did you think we just waltzed out here? We've been fighting him for the past few hours, and where were you?!" huffed Aisha, trying to smooth out her frizzy hair (so much static—she'd been hit by Add and Apocalypse multiple times).

"Later. Just get to the infirmary and get some rest."

Everyone slowly and gingerly walked back to the center of campus, leaving Chung alone.

"Well, we better figure out how to get Elsa back, and fast, or we're in some serious trouble…" he looked up at the sky, "How am I doing, Father? Am I doing a good job protecting my friends from your fate?"

* * *

_**I know that it seems like I made this fight kinda pathetic in the end, but it's not time for the final, conclusive battle yet! What do you think Elsa's message meant? "Whenever you desperately need me, you know what to say" Let's see how close you can guess to the actual meaning~!**_

_**Rena: *blushing madly* Why the heck did you have Add focus on Rave and I?!**_

_**I see hearts in the air~ Why else would a bully like Raven jump in front of you against Add?**_

_**Rena &amp; Raven: *blushing* KAT! WE'RE GONNA KILL YOU FOR THIS!**_

_***sweatdrops* Well, cya! *runs away***_

_**Eve: We'll see all you Elpeeps next time on part 8.**_


	9. Part 8

_**Hey, everyone! I can;t believe I missed this story's one-year anniversary! Anyways~ I'm sorry about the late update and I hope the length of this part makes up for it! College is brutal, so I haven't had much time...**_

_**Chung: Enough of Kat ranting...**_

_**Elsword: Elrios University: Semester Two! Part 8, GO!**_

* * *

Elsword bristled at the self-proclaimed Demon Lord in front of him, "Why the heck am I even still here? I need to kill Add!"

Lu sighed, "You have a freakin' one-track mind, don't you? You're still here because 1) you haven't gotten up and walked out, 2) Chung hasn't returned to grab your sorry behind and drag you back to campus, and 3) Elesis isn't here to tell you to get off your butt, get to work, and stop moping! Have I covered everything now?"

Ciel shook his head, "Elsword, you can't go after Add yet. No one here can. Your best bet against him would be to wait for your friends to recover, get our help, and recruit your sister. Add has no problem killing you when you're distracted or working haphazardly and separately instead of one combined unit. He's sly and won't pick a fight he can't win. The reason why your friends are even in their current predicament is because they couldn't figure out how to work together. Figure that out, and then you'll be a difficult, if not impossible, force for Add to defeat."

Elsword blinked as he looked at Lu, "Does he always have good fighting advice, or is this just a special case?"

Lu beamed, "He was a notorious hitman when we met~. He knows a lot of fighting secrets~!"

Elsword grimaced as he headed towards the entrance of Knight's Spire, "Let's go already! I wanna see if everyone is still ok!"

…_**..**_

"OUCH!" Raven growled as the nurse, Pesop, started disinfecting a deep cut on his forearm.

"Raven, you crybaby! Just put up with it! You're a military man, aren't you?" Aisha ground out as she was getting treated by Rena.

"All of you are crybabies. We still need to come up with a solution of what to do with Add," Eve stated, nose not leaving her book. "Does anyone know where Chung wandered off to? In times such as these, we need to make sure that everyone is safe."

Ara gave Eve a foxy grin that would make Eun proud, "You sure you don't just wanna know where he is for _personal_ reasons~?"

Eve's face flushed red, "N-no! That's not it!"

"Then why are you blushing~?" Ara teased, making everyone else hide some laughs and a certain Elf squeal.

"I SHIP IT~~! CHUNG AND EVE~~! THE FIRST COUPLE~~!" Rena squealed like a fangirl.

Eve's face turned even redder than Elsword's hair in embarrassment. "IT'S NOT LIKE THAT AT ALL, RENA!"

"What's with all the screaming in here?" Chung questioned, bewilderment clear on his face. Everyone else sans Eve and Rena (and Pesop, he left before the teasing began) couldn't hold back their laughter any longer. They all started laughing, leaving the poor Deadly Chaser even more lost.

Eve blushed furiously as she covered Rena's mouth, "Nothing beyond the usual teasing from Ara and the match-making from Rena! Nothing else beyond that!"

Chung looked skeptical at her answer, but didn't press any more information out of the red-faced Nasod. He could already guess who Ara and Rena was targeting in the situation. He sighed, "Who is it that Rena's shipping Eve with?" He really didn't want to know, but by everyone laughing even harder, he had a pretty good idea now as his face started to heat up.

Ara sang, "You, Chungy~"

Chung sweatdropped, _Chungy? That doesn't even sound right…_ "Um, Ara, 'Chungy' is not a great way to call me…I would be fine with just Chung, thank-you. Besides, Eve and I are friends, not lovers. I see her more as a big sister."

The rest of the group winced after he left, _Friend-zoned!_

…_**...**_

Chung sweatdropped after he walked out of the white room known as the nurse's office or infirmary. _I guess it's good to see some normalcy hasn't been destroyed by Add's coming back. I'm glad…but still, we have a lot of work cut out for us if we want to find Elsa and stop Add. It wouldn't hurt to relax a little bit though, after all—constant fighting's enough to even run Elsword ragged!_

"SEIKER!" Chung blinked as the voice of said redhead reached him. He looked up to see Elsword, Lu, and Ciel walking towards him.

Chung waited until the trio got closer before he answered, "Hey, El. You look a lot better than you did before I left. I take it that Lu and Ciel are joining us?"

Elsword groaned while Lu beamed and answered, "Yep~! Now, there's no way you're getting away from me now, Prince Seiker~! I want my pleasant talk you promised me~!"

Chung face-faulted, "Wait, what? I don't remember promising you a pleasant talk…"

Ciel cleared his throat, "Excuse my impatience, but we have something of the utmost importance to discuss with the entirety of the El Explorers. May we head in? I'd rather not speak outside when we don't know who is on Add's side in this school."

Chung face-palmed, "You use too many words to say something so simple…come on, the others are still resting in the infirmary."

…_**..**_

"About time you show up, Kid! Where were you when the rest of us were getting fileted like fish?!" Aisha huffed when Elsword walked in.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME, YOU TOMBOY!?"

"YOU HEARD ME, KID!"

"TOMBOY!"

"KID!"

"TOMBOY!"

"KID!"

"YOU TWO STOP ARGUING LIKE A COUPLE OF THREE-YEAR-OLDS?!" Chung interrupted the two's argument before it got too far out of hand. He sighed, "Now that I have everyone's attention, Lu and Ciel—"

"What are two Demons doing here? I thought that Eun was the last one we were going to let into the Explorers!" Aren pointed out, effectively cutting Chung off.

Said blonde assassin growled at being interrupted, "If you would SHUT UP for one minute, I'll tell you! Now, as I was saying—" here he glared pointedly at Aren, "—these two, Lu and Ciel, are going to join up with us against Add. They have also brought to my attention that they have some insight on how to defeat him. I expect for everyone to give them your utmost attention."

Lu huffed, "You people really aren't too keen on the idea of a couple of Demons knowing more about your enemy than you do…Anyways~ how do we get more help? Any guesses?" She pointed at Rena, "How 'bout you~? You've been awfully quiet, Elf."

Rena grimaced, her usually cheerful demeanor gone from her face. "We could alert the professors…or try to recruit people from outside to our cause…"

Ciel took this chance to speak, "They wouldn't believe us. Add has everyone fooled. He got rid of the only kink in his plans. He made sure that no one will trust our words against his. Prince Seiker is the only one who has the authority to even convince one or two people. You are all looking too far away. Think about who we can turn to that will readily believe everything we say and back us too. Who am I hinting at?"

Elsword grumbled, "You mean Elsa, don't you? She's gone! We can't get her back, no matter how hard we try!"

"…it still won't stop me from looking…" Aisha quietly mumbled, getting everyone's attention. She looked over everyone in the room with a seemingly new fire burning in her eyes, "Think about it! Elsa's too strong to be defeated for good by the likes of Add! I'll keep trying to find her, even if it's just chasing a lost hope! I refuse to give up on our friend!" She was trying to hold back her tears at admitting that Elsa was a dear friend to her. "She wouldn't be too happy about us just giving up on her like that…she'd want us to keep trying until there's irrefutable proof that she's dead and gone, wouldn't she?"

Ciel smirked, "That's exactly what I'm getting at. Elsword already knows how to bring Elesis back into the conflict. He just needs to think about it."

Raven smirked, "Then let's hope that El can use that brain of his. C'mon, guys! On your feet! We gotta prepare to fight as soon as El figures out how to get Elsa back!"

"YEAH!" everyone else cheered.

Chung smiled, _We might actually have a chance to pull this off! Bring it on, Add—we're all ready for you now!_

* * *

**_Aaaand~ Lu and Ciel are now a part of the El Explorers! Elsword's a little bitter about the whole Elsa possibly not being dead thing...Who expected for Aisha to be the one to stick up for their dead friend? Not to mention Raven joining the band-wagon there. Well, the two bullies from Semester One! are actually being the more optimistic of the Explorers. Get used to Aisha and Elsword's fighting, they're gonna be doing that a lot._**

**_Rena: And that's enough talking from you._**

**_Eve: We'll see everyone in the next update. Please R&amp;R._**


	10. Part 9

_**Hey there, Elpeeps! Welcome to Part 9 of Elrios University: Semester Two!**_

_**Chung: This might be the last update for a while, due to Kat's having classes...**_

_**Rena: IGNORING CHUNG-It looks like the action is starting to pick up again~**_

_**Yep! I tried to drag this out for readability's sake, but I can only drag out and expand the plot for so long before it's just filler chapters (and everyone hates fillers-I think?). Anyways~without further ado:**_

_**El Explorers: PART 9, BEGIN!**_

* * *

"The NERVE of him! Elsa's his sister; you'd expect him of all people to wanna keep looking for her! Not just SULKING IN HIS ROOM!" Aisha shouted the last part loud enough for Elsword to hear her on the other side of the building. Rena sweat-dropped when an Elrios History textbook came flying out of seemingly nowhere and hit Aisha square in the forehead.

"SHUT UP TOMBOY!"

"MAKE ME KID!"

Rena sighed as the two continued to argue, their voices rising constantly in volume. "Why do they always seem to have something to fight over?" she glanced at Raven, waiting his response.

"Because the two of them have such similar personalities they don't really get along. Kind of like the same charged sides of two magnets." Raven replied. "Opposites, like—say—Chung and Eve, attract, while likes, such as Elsword and Aisha, repel."

Eve blushed as she took the chance to tease Raven back, "So, why are Chung and I the opposites in your _scientific_ example, Raven? Last I checked, Rena and yourself are more of polar opposites than Chung and I. Therefore, using your logic, you and Rena should be the better option to get along. Not Chung and myself."

Rena and Raven blushed simultaneously while stammering. "B-b—"

"N-no—!"

Elsword, having finished his screaming match with Aisha (at least for the time being), sighed as he looked at Elsa's sword, Claymore. _Sis…what is Ciel's message supposed to mean to me? How am I supposed to call you to back us when Add is drawing closer to us? I don't wanna lose anyone else to Add like I lost you! Please give me some kind of a reason to believe that you're still alive! I want to believe Seiker…I really do…So how do I protect and lead everyone like you did?_

…_**..**_

The figure smiled as she watched Elsword reading for a way to save his friends. _I admire your will to protect the others, but…willingness to protect isn't gonna defeat Add, Elsword…_ She frowned at the thought of Elsword losing all his friends to Add. She wrote something on a scrap of paper and walked past the distracted Elsword, dropping the scrap into his book as a bookmark as she left. _See you there, Elsword._

…_**..**_

Elsword glared at the book as if it would give him the solution to all that's wrong in Elrios. He grimaced, _It's not like the heavens will open with a heavenly chorus and give me an answer to whether or not my sister's still alive. _He laughed pitifully at himself and then muttered, "Why is it so hard to believe what Seiker, Lu, and Ciel are saying? I miss her and want her back more than anything…so why am I so against this idea? Do I not want to lose her again? What's wrong with me…?" Just then, a strangely familiar gloved hand dropped a scrap of paper into his book, almost like a bookmark. As Elsword muttered "thanks", he caught a quick glimpse of fiery red hair and a small smile on the redheaded woman's face. When he jumped out of his seat and looked in the direction the woman went, he saw nothing. What unnerved him more than that, however, was that the scrap of paper was still in his book, right where he left it.

Elsword groaned, _Forget the heavenly chorus, I'm going delusional!_ He cautiously looked around again, then darted back to his book to snatch the paper out. He quickly read through it in a whisper:

"'Hello, Elsword! I see you've been training hard in my absence, but I'm not quite sure it's enough…no. I know it's not enough to defeat Add—yet. If you even believe that this is my handwriting, not Add's attempting to fool you, you know where to find me. Prove it to me that I don't have to continue to keep an eye on you. See you when (and if) you come to where we used to train as kids. Sincerely, Elsa, your caring big sister. P.S. Don't let anyone else see this note! They'll try to stop you!'"

He sank down in the beanbag chair that he had been reading in with his face devoid of all color. Chung walked over to where he was to ask how the research was coming along, but rushed to his side when he saw how bad off Elsword looked. "El?! What happened? Are you ok?"

Elsword nodded mutely, his mind was on more things than answering his roommate.

Chung frowned, "Maybe you need a break. Why don't you head to the dorm and I'll tell the others what's going on."

Elsword walked quickly out of the room with the message from Elsa clutched tightly in his hand. As soon as he was out of sight, he bolted towards the Practice Arena, where he and Elsa would always play when they were younger. _I have to see this for myself! If it's Add, then I'll fight and kill him for impersonating my sister! Please, whatever deity is out there, let it be Elsa!_

…_**..**_

"Elsword looked sick, so I went ahead and sent him back to our dorm," Chung concluded his explanation to the rest of the Explorers.

Aisha frowned, _Elsword? Sick? But, he's the healthiest one out of all of us, easily!_ "Was he 'seen-a-ghost' sick or 'I'm-gonna-barf-if-I-don't-leave-soon' sick?"

Chung paused in thought, "I think it was more of the first one, now that I think of it. Also, it looked like he was holding something in his hand with an almost death-grip…"

Eve snapped to attention at that piece of news, "Perhaps Elsword was holding a note from someone he knew…"

As soon as the words left her mouth, everyone had the same name in their mind: _Elsa!_

Ara shifted uneasily, "S-so, what do we do now? If Elsword really had a note from Elsa, where would he go? Someplace that the two of them know?"

Aren frowned, "Just because we think it was Elsa who wrote him that note, we can't rule out the possibility that this is one of Add's tricks to kill Elsword when his guard's down."

Rena jumped into the conversation, "Elsword's probably suspicious too, guys. He won't get caught off guard like he was back then. He can hold any enemy off at least until we get there."

"The Elf is right, y'know…" everyone turned to the new speaker, Lu, "He's stronger than you give him credit for. Give him this chance to prove it. Let's go back to figuring out where he would go."

"I have to agree with Ara. He would definitely go to someplace he feels safe. Sorry to say, that means he wouldn't go anywhere near the dorms or Practice Range," Ciel pointed out.

Chung thought about it, then an idea popped into his head, "Not the Range, but the Practice _Arena_! He and Elsa would always go there and play when they were younger. They showed me a secret path there, so we should be there in twenty minutes (versus the hour and a half route) if we leave right now."

Raven smirked, "Looks like Elsword had more faith in his sister than we thought. Let's move out."

* * *

_**So, Elsa's back, but is it for good? R&amp;R your answer :D! What is it she's looking for in Elsword? Or is this Elsa just one of Add's tricks to get at Elsword when his guard's down? Enough of me rambling; see you guys in the next update!**_


End file.
